Month: May 2017

Three murders. Three innocent victims. What secrets did they share with their killer?

A bottle of bubble bath and colourful, plastic boats were scattered in small puddles on the floor. In the bathtub lay Linda Upton, fully-clothed, her lips a shade of blue, and her bloodshot eyes wide open.

When a young mother is found drowned in the bath, clutching a receipt saying ‘all debts paid’, Detective Robyn Carter knows it’s just the beginning of a harrowing case. She recognises the signs of a serial killer, and when a second victim with a receipt is found, her worst fears are confirmed.

With the local press whipping the public into a frenzy, Robyn is under pressure to solve the crime yesterday. But her team can’t find a link between the two bodies, and the cracks are starting to show.

Just when her leads have dried up, Robyn discovers an unsettling clue she thinks could unlock the case. But as she chases across the plush carpets and manicured lawns of the wealthy elite, honing in on the killer’s shocking motive, one of her own is put in terrible danger.

The press call him The Leopard for his stealth, speed and brutality. Can Robyn stop the most twisted killer of her career before it’s too late?

My Review

Carol Wyer has written the second in the series surrounding DI Robyn Carter, the first being Little Girl Lost. The newest instalment Secrets of the Dead is a psychological thriller, which encapsulates a serial killer and the lengths DI Carter has to go to capture him.

Secrets of the Dead opens at ‘Break-Neck Speed’ tells of a Spa manager who has been found dead, his body unrecognisable, burned, who has suffered a heart attack and ruled a tragic accident, but is it case closed, Carter and one other have their doubts.

A series of gruesome murders then begins.

DI Robyn Carter and her team investigate a series of brutal murders, each victim has an invoice marked ‘£250,000 paid in full’, there is no evidence, no DNA, no apparent links, but Carter believes otherwise. Carters investigation is further hampered by the local press who have dubbed the killer ‘The Leopard’, the community of Lichfield are scared, can Carter stop these heinous crimes before it’s too late, before another dies.

DI Carter is a strong, resilient woman who is dedicated to her career even though she faced adversity and hardship in her life, she has pulled her life back together from the death of Davies. Carter is a fiercely independent woman, fighting for what she believes in and doesn’t take fools gladly.

Secrets of the Dead has a very full plot, but easy to follow, taking you through different characters viewpoints, helps to engage you with the plot and understand the scenarios unfolding, building the story, leading you to red herrings then putting you back on track. I thought I had that Eureka moment where I believed I knew who the killer was but I was dead wrong, it didn’t detract from the story in fact it made me more determined to finish and have a name for ‘The Lichfield Leopard’.

Carol has created a novel which will take you on a thrilling ride that you won’t want to get off, the suspense and red herrings ensures a gripping read. Secrets of the Dead is fast paced, an intriguing ‘OMG I NEED TO READ MORE’ type of plotline, once started there is no going back.

I couldn’t put the book down I needed to read it all, definitely a one-sitting read.

Thank you Bookouture, NetGalley and Carol Wyer for the fantastic opportunity to read Secrets of the Dead an Advance Readers Copy for an honest review.

About the Author

Carol E. Wyer is an award-winning author whose humorous books take a light-hearted look at getting older and encourage others to age disgracefully.

More recently she has chosen to write for the “dark side” and embarked on a series of thrillers, starting with the gripping best-seller, Little Girl Lost. Her book Grumpy Old Menopause won The People’s Book Prize Award for non-fiction 2015.

Carol has been interviewed on numerous radio shows discussing ‘Irritable Male Syndrome’ and ‘Ageing Disgracefully’ and on BBC Breakfast television. She has had articles published in national magazines ‘Woman’s Weekly’ featured in ‘Take A Break’, ‘Choice’, ‘Yours’ and ‘Woman’s Own’ magazines and writes regularly for The Huffington Post. Carol is a signed author with Bookouture and Delancey Press.